These two news articles will delight the most ardent of lockdown fans.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-new...fined-21838851
Shoppers claim they're being fined for buying 'non-essentials' like wine and crisps
People on social media are claiming that they, or someone they know, have been fined for heading out to buy items considered 'non-essential' during the coronavirus lockdown
Shoppers are claiming they have been fined by police for leaving the house to buy items considered 'non-essential' - including wine and snacks.
Since the UK went into lockdown on March 23, rules have restricted freedom of movement, with just a handful of exceptions including the allowance of one form of outdoor exercise a day.
The announcement also permitted people to leave the house to shop for 'basic necessities' - but the rules seems to have caused some confusion with no clear guidelines on what is considered to be a 'basic necessity', as reported by Edinburgh Live.
Those breaking the conditions were warned that police would have the power to enforce the measures through fines and dispersing gatherings.
One shopper has said she was fined £30 after her shopping bags were checked, saying: "I was walking through Holyrood Park (in Edinburgh) on Sunday afternoon on my way back from Morrisons. Two officers asked to look inside my bag, and then fined me for only having crisps, other snacks and a bottle of wine."
However, it was reported she had also admitted to refuse to comply with the officers' requests to return home straight away.
A resident from West Lothian tweeted to say they knew two people who had been fined; a nurse in uniform leaving a patient's house and another leaving a shop with just a bottle of wine.
A similar tweet stated: "A friend of my daughter was fined £30 on the spot in Edinburgh the other night having just bought wine and snacks, both of which are non-essential. Still seems a bit draconian to me."
Warrington Police force tweeted a week after the lockdown was imposed to say six people in the area had already been summoned for offences relating to the new coronavirus legislation to protect the public.
It stated it included 'multiple people from the same household going to the shops for non-essential items', as well as others going for a drive due to boredom and returning from parties.
A different force tweeted to say it was disappointed to find people out buying compost and other garden items it deemed non-essential.
https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/09/polic...ents-container
Police threaten to search shopping trolleys to check you’re only buying essentials
The police may start checking shopping trolleys to make sure people are only buying essentials amid the Covid-19 lockdown, one police chief has threatened. Chief Constable Nick Adderley, of Northamptonshire Police, said his force is only ‘a few days away’ from introducing the extreme measures. Other enforcement action being considered are road blocks to stop people travelling and flouting coronavirus regulations, he said.
CC Adderley admitted that government guidance has been ‘really ambiguous’ and he has therefore asked his officers to ‘use common sense’ in how they approach the public. There are fears that good weather over the extended bank holiday weekend will see record numbers of the public breaking social distancing rules.
Speaking at a press conference today, the chief constable said a ‘three-week grace period’ is over in the county and the force will now be issuing fines and arresting people breaking the rules. Strict measures to be implemented could include ‘marshalling’ supermarkets and checking the items in baskets and trolleys, he said.
Police have come under criticism for being too heavy handed in their response to the government’s guidance after being given new powers to enforce distancing measures. But CC Adderley claims forces ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ when it comes to policing the new rules but that guidance on how to police the rules ‘could be clearer’.
He said: ‘I really need to emphasise the point, this is about saving people’s lives, this is the really serious end of what we do. ‘The role of the police is to preserve lives and protect property and we have to do that and we will do that.
‘If things don’t improve, and we don’t get the compliance we would expect, then the next stage will be road blocks and it will be stopping people to ask why they are going, where they’re going. ‘This is about reasonableness and if people are not reasonable in terms of the journeys and the trips they are taking, they are going to fall foul of the law.
‘We will not, at this stage, be setting up road blocks. We will not, at this stage, start to marshal supermarkets and checking the items in baskets and trolleys to see whether it’s a legitimate, necessary item. ‘But again, be under no illusion, if people do not heed the warnings and the pleas I’m making today, we will start to do that.’ His comments have been backed up by Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick who earlier said that people who refuse to leave public spaces during the current lockdown, when asked by police, ‘will be forced to do so’.
Following news of people going against restrictions and sunbathing in parks, she said the public will be encouraged to abide by the rules and, if necessary, asked to move on. Breaking the rules on gatherings can result in enforcement, Dame Cressida said.
On the clarity of government guidance on policing the regulations, Mr Adderley said: ‘The law itself in terms of the five or six points that have come out in terms of the Coronavirus Bill – they are quite simple in terms of their narrative. ‘But the interpretation of that is very, very difficult. The issue about, what is a necessary item, only go out for necessities – what is a necessity?
‘If we’re stopping somebody because they’ve bought a barbecue set or they’ve bought a child’s toy, you could argue that’s not necessary. ‘On the other hand, you could argue it absolutely is necessary – because in terms of the mental health and trying to keep people entertained over this period of lockdown, that is very necessary. ‘So the nuances and the interpretation is really ambiguous – that’s why I’m saying to officers, use your common sense, use your discretion. I think the guidance could be even clearer, but it’s where do you draw the line?’
Originally Posted by Organ Morgan.
These two news articles will delight the most ardent of lockdown fans.
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